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Martha Bullock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Martha Bullock (born September 17, 1849) is an American pioneer woman that HBO drew inspiration from while creating the character Martha Bullock in the TV series Deadwood.

Early life

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Martha Marguerite Bullock (née Eccles) was born on September 17, 1849, in Pennsylvania to James C Eccles and Margaret Claffey. Her parents moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio and then settled down in Battle Creek, Michigan Martha grew up in Battle Creek and later taught there as a teacher.[1] Martha also met her husband Seth Bullock in Battle Creek. The two were childhood sweethearts and eventually got married in 1874, in Salt Lake City, Utah.[2]

Once married Seth and Martha started their life in Helena, Montana. This was where Martha gave birth to their daughter Margaret "Madge" Bullock in 1875.[3] In 1876 Martha and Madge went to live with her parents while Seth began setting down roots in Deadwood, South Dakota. Martha and Madge stayed behind because there was a lack of order in the town due to the Black Hills gold rush. Once Seth was established as the sheriff of Deadwood and had seen a decrease in crime he sent for Martha and Madge to join him.[4]

The headstone of Seth and Martha Bullock

Martha managed their household and became a leading member of local society.[5] Martha and Seth had two more children Florence, born in 1877, and a son, Stanley, born in 1880.[3] Martha died March 10th, 1939 at the age of 89.

Community involvement

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Martha was involved in her community. She helped with events, chruch services, she sang in the chior, and was a involved with some clubs. Some of these clubs included the Round Table Club, the Culture Club, and the Woman’s Suffrage League.[1]

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Martha Bullock appeared as a supporting character in the HBO television series Deadwood and Deadwood: The Movie, where she was portrayed by Anna Gunn.[6] Several creative liberties were taken with the facts surrounding the real Martha Bullock for the show's character. Unlike her character in the TV series, she was not originally the widow of Bullock's brother, but is reported to have been his childhood sweetheart;[7] and similarly, rather than having a son by Bullock's brother, she and Bullock actually had a daughter, Margaret, at the time of Bullock's departure for Deadwood.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Martha Bullock". sodakpb. March 1, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  2. ^ "Anna Gunn: Der weibliche Star aus der Serie 'Breaking Bad'". vip.de (in German). Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "FamilySearch.org". ancestors.familysearch.org. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  4. ^ "Martha Bullock – A Pillar of Deadwood Society – Legends of America". legendsofamerica.com. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "Martha Eccles Bullock". The Weekly Pioneer-Times. March 16, 1939. p. 3. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  6. ^ Egner, Jeremy (August 7, 2013). "Anna Gunn on the End of 'Breaking Bad'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  7. ^ "Legendary Lawman Seth Bullock". Officer. Retrieved August 1, 2018.